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Chapter 580 The Horace Grant Incident

Jamison was ultimately "unconvinced", so he did not play again.

What's interesting is that during the entire confrontation, head coach Mike D'Antoni did not stand up to "preside over the overall situation". Logically speaking, some of Tang Qian's words just now were a bit "excessive" and "excessive", but he chose to "turn a blind eye" ""turn a deaf ear".This attitude made some "smart people" on the Lakers seem to vaguely guess something.

But... isn't that an exaggeration?
Before the timeout ended, Mike D'Antoni only asked No. 29 of the Lakers, saying, "Is there hope?"

In exchange, it was No. 29 who answered decisively, saying: "Of course, sir, I'm here to win!"

This confidence and temperament... What happened outside the locker room just now? ? ?
Mike D'Antoni didn't ask much, he just chose to believe in the former. Anyway, the situation has gotten so bad, no matter how ugly it is, it's just a sweep.It's better to give "people who still want to win" a chance.

I hope you can grasp it, otherwise I am afraid that there will not be many opportunities for me to give.

The Spurs are equivalent to only taking away Corey Joseph, and the rest of the lineup remains unchanged. PG Gary Neal, SF Kawhi Leonard, PF Matt Bonner, and Aaron Baynes.It is equivalent to making adjustments to the No. 2 position.

This is Popovich's confidence and trust in the Argentines.

Decades of working together, established affirmation.

But Popovich still underestimated the energy on the 29th tonight. Ginobili played "Spirit Snake Breakthrough" as soon as he came on the court, easily tearing apart the Lakers' perimeter defense.But at the end of the shot... was interfered, and the basketball collapsed out of the basket.

Lakers Pau Gasol got the rebound.

On the offensive end, Duhon missed a shot, and the offensive rebound was taken by No. 29 of the Lakers, and then hoisted to Jody Meeks at a 45-degree angle on the left.Jody Meeks made an open three-pointer to help the Lakers continue to narrow the score difference.

"Good job! Jodi!" After Meeks scored, Tang Qian shouted, not stingy with compliments.

Seeing this, Mike D'Antoni was even more surprised: No. 29 would not do this before, let alone use a "boss" tone... How did this kid do it?It was as if he came back from the locker room, his charisma soared, and he was a different person from the first half!
48-61, the score difference is only 13 points, and only 5 minutes have passed in the third quarter.

This kind of chasing speed is already fast in front of the Spurs.

However, Popovich's face did not change much, because he believed in the number 20 of the Spurs who had just played, and he believed that Manu Ginobili could stop the decline of this team.Ginobili was indeed not easy. Turning his head around, he hit a three-pointer with a "swipe", helping the Spurs break the scoring drought in this quarter.

48-64, it seems that the score difference has returned to 16 points.

But this kind of ball, after all, is still a small number of people who can score. Ginobili made two breakthroughs in a row, but they all ended without a problem.Instead, the Lakers took the opportunity to counterattack, and Meeks made two consecutive three-pointers from the outside.

54-64, only 10 points behind.

Popovich held his breath, he thought there was still a double-digit lead, and he could wait a little longer...

But the result made him speechless, because the Spurs' scoring stagnated again, and Ginobili missed another 2 goals, allowing the Lakers to score another 5 points. 59-64, in less than 8 minutes, the original score difference of 22 points disappeared so quickly.After Ginobili came up, except for a 3-pointer, the rest made breakthrough shots and made 5 of 0 shots!This simply made Popovich and the Spurs bench a little unbelievable!
You must know that Ginobili's "Spiritual Snake Breakthrough" could not be contained even by the Pistons. "Ah, how could it be possible that all five breakthroughs failed?Popovich couldn't bear it anymore, immediately asked for a timeout, and immediately asked Manu Ginobili: "What's the matter? Manu? Are you feeling unwell?" Ginobili He shook his head and said, "No, it's the defensive state of No. 20 tonight, it's too strong."

"So good? Are you in such a good state?" Popovich couldn't help asking: "Can't you get in?"

"It's hard." No. 20 of the Spurs replied honestly after thinking about it.

For a while, Popovich was caught in a dilemma and embarrassment, because he warned Kawhi Leonard not long ago, "No matter how strong a person's explosion is, there is a limit, let alone a blue-collar insider"... all of a sudden , It is tantamount to being stepped on severely, making the former "disgraced".

After a little hesitation, Popovich said: "Tony, you go up too, organize the whole team, control the rhythm, and don't let everyone fall into the opponent's rhythm." Facts have proved that Popovich still underestimated the Lakers. The energy tonight on the 29th, because even if Parker played, he would be doomed. Not only were all kinds of breakthroughs blocked, but the inside pass was almost useless.In this way, the Lakers played smoother and better. The three-pointer that had never been opened in the entire series finally made a big effort tonight. Meeks made 8 of 6 shots in a single quarter and became the Los Angeles Lakers chasing points. The most eye-catching presence.However, in Mike D'Antoni's mind, the most important turning point is the inside number 29.

If it weren't for his support inside, if it wasn't for his efforts to control the rebounding end, if it wasn't for him taking the lead in breaking San Antonio's winning momentum... the Lakers might be over in the first half, so how can there be a big counterattack now?Fight back?

And... Mike D'Antoni also discovered an important problem.

That is, vaguely, the four players on the Lakers team are all "closer" to No. 4, and they are all "closer" to No. 29.

This is not about getting closer to the unit, but spiritually and spiritually.

Unknowingly, he has become the "core" on the field, the "pillar" on the field, and the players on the field can't help but "gather" to him.

This is absolutely impossible for ordinary substitute players.

This is especially true for rookies, because you lack that experience, you lack that experience, and naturally, you also lack that temperament.

Unless you are a supernova who has a swaying posture as soon as you enter the league, such as "Magic" Johnson back then, like Larry Bird back then, like Michael Jordan back then, like LeBron James back then.otherwise……

Could it be that this Eastern boy... will break through the "roof" of the All-Stars in the future and break into the superstar rank?
is it possible?You must know that he is just a blue-collar player. It is almost impossible for blue-collar players in history...

Wait, someone still broke this "roof", and he is the legend of Boston, "Lord of the Rings" Bill Russell.

But the more he thought about it, the more ridiculous Mike D'Antoni found it. After all, who is Bill Russell?This is the only example in history, could this oriental boy in front of him copy it?You know, this is something that Ben Wallace, Mutombo, Camby, and Rodman have not done!Because the team is built with blue-collar players as the core, who else in NBA history besides Bill Russell?And... hmm?Really not without it!

It's just this person's name, which is quite low-key, so low-key that few people can think of him.

So even Mike D'Antoni almost forgot about him for a while.

He is the pinnacle of the quasi-super giant, Wes Unseld at the foot of the super giant, yes, it is Wes Unseld, an ancient "Ben Wallace" known as the "Bone Crusher" Deman".He averaged 10.8 points per game in the regular season and 10.6 points per game in the playoffs in his career. He is a blue-collar with such data, but he has been elected as an MVP and FMVP player.Moreover, he is only 201cm tall, but he is overweight. He exceeded 240+ pounds in his rookie period. In his height category, he is definitely a "meat tyrant".In addition to his height, he is also a comprehensively strengthened Ben Wallace. Compared with the former, he has risen several levels in rebounds, points and assists.

But this guy... is playing the 5th position.

Because the sense of historical presence is not high, and he rarely shows up after retiring, let alone fans, most coaches may not be able to remember this name at the first time.But he is a proper blue-collar player, and he is also the only blue-collar cornerstone player in NBA history who has won the MVP and FMVP at the same time, except for Bill Russell. After all, the name of this award is the Bill Russell Trophy).

Although the moisture of career awards has been questioned, as an "insider", Mike D'Antoni never doubts the strength of the players who can win the MVP trophy.Maybe the data is not so gorgeous, maybe the performance is not universally recognized, but do you think any cat or dog can win the MVP trophy?You must know that before the 80s, the MVP award was still voted by the players.

You have no strength, who will vote for you?

How to convince the public?

NBA players are all proud guys, and it is impossible to convince a "parallel importer" who has no strength.

So... is it possible for him... to break the "roof" and become the third person?
No, no, thinking too far, now he is still far behind Ben Wallace, Mutombo, and Rodman. When he can be on an equal footing with these names, the discussion will go further time.Before that, it was useless to think about it.

It's just... His kind of temperament is indeed something that the previous few people have never possessed.

It's as if... had been the absolute core and won the championship of the absolute core.

The difference inside is not clear to the insiders.

It is precisely because of this that Mike D'Antoni gave No. 29 the opportunity to lead the team alone.

Because the former also wants to know whether he "sees" wrong.

Under the collective counterattack of the Lakers, the Spurs are gone. Even if Popovich hastily replaced No. 21 of the Holy City, it is the same. The momentum of the Lakers has been fully raised, and the Spurs can no longer press down .In this way, "confused", the Spurs lost the third game of the series, and the Lakers successfully defended at home.

Tang Qian is the chief hero. He scored 6 points, 17 rebounds, 9 blocks and 3 assists that night. This is also his first highlight performance since the series.So, without a doubt, he was the man of the game tonight.

In the post-match press conference, Mike D'Antoni praised the former, saying:
Hot is the leader of our team tonight!
This is definitely an extremely high evaluation, because it is usually difficult for substitute players and blue-collar players to get such an evaluation.

What is a leader?You have to control the situation of tonight's battle in order to have the basic leadership qualifications.

Otherwise, no discussion.

Tang Qian's performance tonight, at the Staples Center, is obvious to all. Without his defense and rebounding, the Lakers would have been defeated long ago. How can there be any possibility of overtaking and reversing?Jody Meeks, who scored 29 points tonight and created a new high in his playoff career, also said in the interview:

Without hot, there would be no victory tonight!He was the man of the game tonight!
As for the Spurs, they also said:
We paid the price for our underestimation!Congratulations to the Lakers and Dongfang Hot!They woke us up!

Kobe, Nash, and Metta Shiping also tweeted immediately:
Congratulations my brothers for winning!come on!Lakers!
However, someone was in a very unhappy mood. In order to "retaliate", he actually disclosed "inside information" to the reporter who interviewed him, saying:
……

In the early morning of the next day, newspapers and the Internet caused a lot of "sound waves".

Congratulations to the Lakers for winning and so on, I won’t mention it, it’s the same, the main thing is a piece of news that caught people’s attention:

The Lakers said in the game on the 29th that the Lakers are now my team!
I am at the helm of Los Angeles!
Whoever refuses to accept me, just sit on the bench for me!
This was reported by a ESPN reporter named Seth Bing. It was written with a nose and eyes, and said that this was internal news from the Lakers, which was absolutely correct.All of a sudden, Los Angeles was the first to explode.People have left messages on the Internet, asking whether the news is true or not.

And Mike D'Antoni ordered the press officer of the Lakers not to release any news for the time being, and to respond in silence.

Why not refute the rumors?The reason is very simple. The other party obviously obtained "first-hand information". If his side publicly denies it, who knows if the other side will come up with more sharp evidence?Besides... Mike D'Antoni and the entire Lakers team are well aware that these words are not adulterated.It is largely true.

So... this means that there is an "inner ghost" inside the Lakers.

This is definitely a very serious incident that affects the atmosphere in the locker room, just like the "Horace Grant incident" of the Chicago Bulls back then.When it comes to "Cobra" Grant, I am afraid that everyone in the old fans knows that Qiao Shen's first three consecutive championships are the third master, similar to the status of the "Big Bug" Rodman who won the next three consecutive championships.This person is very capable, but his mind and character are extremely problematic.

After joining the Magic in the 01-02 season, he was directly called a "cancer" by Doug Rivers, but this is not the most famous "thing".Because the so-called "Horace Grant incident" in the early 90s was the real "badness", which finally made Qiao God crazy.

Because Horace Grant has been jealous of Jordan for a long time. Since the first championship in 91, conflicts have been buried.According to the usual practice, NBA teams will go to the White House after winning the championship, but please note that this is voluntary, not forced.So Shen Qiao told the whole team that he didn't want to go (actually he went to play golf), and he was busy with other things, and the whole team had no objection.But who knew that after the trip to the White House, "Cobra" Grant suddenly lost his temper. He publicly told the media that he was very disappointed with Jordan's behavior, because it was a lack of teamwork and specialization.However, because Jordan wanted to pursue consecutive championships, he only asked the Grant team to apologize, so he gave up.Unexpectedly, after winning the second championship, this guy's mouth was itchy again, but he had learned the "lesson" of the last time. He no longer said anything publicly, but changed to another way to "vent".

This is the point, and it is also the source of Jordan's "taunting" him in his autobiography.

Because Horace Grant was dissatisfied with his team status and Jordan's "specialization", he began to privately reveal "inside information", "exclusive information" and "gossip" to reporters.Including what Jordan and others inadvertently said in the training session on the bus, including the team's jokes, he will extract those negative, negative, bad, and "discreetly" revealed to regular reporters, so that They went to "attack" Jordan and the Bulls instead of themselves.

This made the Bulls feel insecure for a while, and they didn't even dare to joke, for fear that what they said would be "exposed" by others.

And the most stupid thing is that this "smart" person thought that everyone didn't know who the "instigator" was.

This was the most criticized "Horace Grant incident" during the first three consecutive championships of the Bulls. Later, Jordan didn't like the latter at all, and this is the root cause.How many of the people who offended God Qiao got good in the end?
Now the Lakers have exactly the same problem, and Mike D'Antoni feels a headache because there was Jordan in Chicago at that time, but now there is no Kobe in Los Angeles.Without the deterrence of the team spirit, all kinds of ghosts, all kinds of discord, all surfaced on the dark side.

Tang Qian didn't expect Jamieson to do this. He punched the latter that day, causing his nose to bloom, and said, "If it's a man, come forward and make small moves behind your back. Are you a bitch? Or are you talking about your balls?" Missing?" Jamison wanted to fight back, but he was old after all, and his strength and tonnage were not at the same level, so in the end he got nothing but a few more punches from No. 29.

However, he still clamored loudly, to make Tang Qian look good, and to make Tang Qian unable to get along in Los Angeles.

Of course Tang Qian knew the other party's plan, and immediately sneered and said, "You think you can stop me with this little trick of yours? I think you will go back as you live? You will know by then, why I will replace you, put You step on your feet, because you and I... are not the same kind of people by nature!"

Before the start of the fourth game of the series, the Lakers first staged a "infernal affairs" and "scheming".

PS: It’s time to add more~Thank you for the great rewards that day, Kun Fen~ At the same time, thank you Qin Rumeng and the Living Buddha of Hell for your rewards~~~ It’s a new month, let’s start a new effort together~ Roar ~
(End of this chapter)